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Epitoniidae Berry, 1910 (1812)

Epitonium eclecticum

(Melvill & Standen, 1903)

Description:

Dimensions range from 5 mm - 6 mm high and 3.5 mm wide.
Width to height ratio: 0.7:1 ~ 0.58:1

Shell: ovate, inflated; thin; minute. Exterior colour whitish, slightly shiny. About 6 whorls; protoconch with ~3 whorls somewhat glassy, smooth, pale brown; teleoconch with ~3 whorls ventricose. Umbilicate. Approximately 40 costae on the body whorl. Costae are smooth, thin, erect. Intercostal spaces smooth. Aperture round, lip continuous; outer lip thickened.


Distribution:

India, Pakistan.; India, Pakistan [Brown & Neville, 2015:66].


Habitat:

not reported.


Etymology:

[greek] from eklektikos = selected.


SpeciesImage

Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R. (1903a). Plate VII. Fig. 5.

Scala eclectica sp.n. (PI. VII., fig. 5).

Distribution

as listed in source literature

Type Material:

The following list brings together type material and other cited specimens as reported in the sources examined, grouped under the names and designations used in each source. The same specimen may appear in multiple entries drawn from different sources. Some entries concern other species included by authors for comparison; inclusion in this list does not imply synonymy.
Epitonium eclecticum (Melvill & Standen, 1903)TypeBMNH 1903.12.15.10-11. [Kaicher, 1980: EP1-2306].
Scala eclectica Melvill & Standen, 1903SyntypeNHM 1903.12.15.10-11. Karachi, Pakistan. [2 specimens]. [Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1903.12.15.10-11].NHMUK 1903.12.15.10-11. India; Pakistan. [Brown & Neville, 2015: 66].


Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R (1903).
Shown in text as Scala eclectica Melvill & Standen, 1903
Species Image
Plate VII. Fig. 5.
Scala eclectica sp.n. (PI. VII., fig. 5).
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pp: 343.
Kaicher, S.D. (1980).
Species Image
Card #: EP1-2306.

Synonymy:

Epitonium (Papyriscala) eclectica (Melvill & Standen, 1903) [Weil et al., 1999: 100]
Scala eclectica Melvill & Standen, 1903 [Brown & Neville, 2015: 66; Melvill & Standen, 1903a: 343; Natural History Museum, 2014: NHM 1903.12.15.10-11]


Source Literature:

Brown, L. & Neville, B.D. (2015). Catalog of the recent taxa of the families Epitoniidae and Nystiellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) with a bibliography of the descriptive and systematic literature. Zootaxa. 3907(1). Magnolia Press Auckland, New Zealand. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3907.1.1 [Accessed 22 October 2023]
Kaicher, S.D. (1980). Epitoniidae I [Pack 23]. S. D. Kaicher, St. Petersburg, Florida. http://www.femorale.com/kaicher/species.asp?f=Epitoniidae&c=125 [Accessed 8 May 2023]
Melvill, J. C. & Standen, R. (1903a). The genus Scala (Klein) Humphrey, as represented in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and North Arabian Sea, with descriptions of new species.. Journal of Conchology. 10. Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31650162 [Accessed 26 February 2025]
Natural History Museum (2014). NHM Collection specimens [Data set]. Natural History Museum. https://doi.org/10.5519/0002965 [Accessed 6 April 2026]
Weil, A., Brown, L. & Neville, B. (1999). The Wentletrap Book. Evolver
WoRMS Editorial Board (2025). World Register of Marine Species. https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ. [Accessed 8 November 2025]

WoRMS direct page link: Open WoRMS record